LDS Church News

Steve Rockwood, president and CEO of FamilySearch International, speaks at the RootsTech conference at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, February 9, 2017. Photo by Spenser Heaps, Deseret News.“Every day we see miracles,” Elder Foster said, holding up his phone once more. “This app is available to everyone—at any time, at any place. You want to do face recognition with the kids? It’s right here. Need a name for the temple? It’s right here. I have a non-member—tell me the name of your great-grandfather and let me type it in and let’s find a record for you. Anybody. Anytime. Right here.”On the home front, Elder Foster encouraged Latter-day Saints to use the Family Tree app as a ministering tool.Elder Bradley D. Foster repeatedly reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket to pull out his cellphone and access the FamilySearch Family Tree mobile app, holding it up to make a point or discuss a feature during a media interview last week.Smaller-scale family history conferences or expos not affiliated with RootsTech are developing in countries like Mexico, Brazil, and other places, Elder Foster said.“It’s always an exciting time to have people begin to have opportunities to discover who they are, connect back to their ancestors and to each other, and to see the joy that comes into more people’s lives as that rolls out across the earth,” Elder Foster said.“We used to ask people to come to us—in family history centers and libraries,” Elder Foster said. “We’ve completely changed that, and now we can take family history to the people—wherever they are—in homes, in large groups, and even in the lobby at the dentist office. That is the biggest change I’ve seen. The FamilySearch Family Tree app, ‘Ordinances Ready’ feature, and all of the other things have made it easier for them. I think that’s where the Lord wants it to go.”“We think that the common denominator with all cultures and languages and people is family, across the world,” Elder Foster said. “As people begin to discover their own story, they want to discover their family story, and we think eventually that will connect them some day to Heavenly Father’s story for them. We think it’s a tremendous missionary tool.”Rockwood announced the opening of registration for RootsTech London February 27 during his keynote address. There’s this “inherent interest,” Rockwood said.“Family history is one of the best, easiest ministering tools anybody can have,” Elder Foster said. “Because of the app and all the features and functions there, it will connect you to anybody that you’re asked to minister to. It’s an easy, easy way to connect to those you’re asked to minister to and in a way that’s familiar and natural.”“They can quickly go to the temple for their first experience and have that powerful experience of connecting to their families,” Elder Foster said. “They and all the members of the Church can do what President Nelson’s has asked them to do, to be warriors in the battalion in the gathering of Israel before the Second Coming comes on both sides of the veil. This is how they can act in doctrine and do that.”New family activities and DNA Education pages have also been added to FamilySearch.org.Elder Foster also referenced the December 2018 announcement that young deacons and Beehives, as well as new converts, can get limited-use temple recommends. It’s a wonderful opportunity for these “new and tender” members, Elder Foster said.Those who download the Family Tree mobile app can now do more than 90 percent of FamilySearch’s website functions, including three new discovery experiences—All About Me, Picture My Heritage, and Record My Story. Until now, these discovery activities have only been available at Family Discovery Centers.“We are flooding the world with discovery and a main way to do that is with the Family Tree app,” Rockwood said. Elder Bradley D. Foster speaks during the Family History Leadership Session at RootsTech on March 1, 2018.
Photo by R. Scott Lloyd, Deseret News Archives.In six years of service in the Family History Department, Elder Foster acknowledged seeing the Lord’s hand in developing technology, such as the Ordinances Ready feature on the Family Tree app, which is helping families to gather families on both sides of the veil as President Russell M. Nelson has admonished.By the end of the interview, Elder Foster, a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the executive director of the Family History Department, had referenced the app enough to realize it symbolized something greater—FamilySearch’s progress over many years to make temple and family history work more convenient and accessible for Church members.“For years we’ve been receiving requests of ‘please export RootsTech’ and we’re just so thrilled and blessed that now at this time there’s the perfect opportunity to do so, really in the perfect place, which is London,” Rockwood said before the conference.In addition to the Family Tree mobile app, Elder Foster and FamilySearch President and CEO Steve Rockwood discussed RootsTech’s growing global audience and international expansion to London, along with trends in the family history industry and this week’s RootsTech conference, the largest genealogy event in the world.With greater numbers of those who aren’t Latter-day Saints downloading the app and coming to RootsTech, the Church has decided to sponsor a RootsTech in London this October for those who can’t travel to Utah, Elder Foster said.

Groundbreaking services for the Pocatello Idaho Temple will be Saturday, March 16, with Elder Wilford W. Andersen, Idaho/North America Central Area President, presiding.This will be the first temple in Guam, an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States in Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. The temple was first announced October 7, 2018, by Church President Russell M. Nelson.The Church’s sixth temple in Idaho will serve some of the more than 450,000 members in 1,129 congregations who live in Idaho. Other temples are located in Boise, Rexburg, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, and Meridian.The First Presidency has announced groundbreaking services in March for the Yigo Guam Temple and the Pocatello Idaho Temple.Construction on the temple with an adjacent meetinghouse is expected to begin in 2019 and is anticipated to take about two years to complete.The temple will be located east of Satterfield Drive and Butte Street in Pocatello in a new subdivision known as Crestview Estates.Yigo Guam TempleThe Pocatello Idaho Temple was announced by President Thomas S. Monson during the April 2017 general conference. Rendering of the Pocatello Idaho Temple.Guam is home to about 2,500 Church members and one mission. Rendering of the Yigo Guam Temple.
Pocatello Idaho TempleAttendance at the site is by invitation only, but it is anticipated that the services will be transmitted via Internet to stake centers within the proposed temple district.Groundbreaking services for the Yigo Guam Temple will be Saturday, May 4, 2019. Elder Yoon Choi, Asia North Area president will preside.The temple will be located at the corner of Marine Corp Drive and Melalak Drive in the village of Yigo on the north end of Guam.Attendance at the temple site is by invitation only, but it is anticipated that the services will be transmitted via Internet to stake centers within the proposed temple district.

But Luke’s work isn’t just limited to making coats—she and her best friend, Margaret Cowley, along with other elderly widows in their Richfield ward, make four to five quilts a week at the humanitarian center.Since that day over six years ago, Luke has donated 1,000 handmade coats “all made out of scraps.”“We are involved with six counties [and] all denominations,” Cowley said. “[The humanitarian center] is open to all. Everyone is invited to participate.”Luke’s coats are on full display during these community events. In fact, one little boy loved his coat so much that no one could get him to take it off. “He’d never had such a nice coat,” Cowley explained.Though Cowley has done her fair share of humanitarian work, she didn’t hesitate to join the choir to sing Luke’s praises.“[I] invite them [all],” Luke said. “[People] just have to [come] be a part of it.”“Everyone has been so generous to send me a little scrap here and there,” Luke said. “I enjoy the good feeling … of producing stuff that other people need.”But perhaps Luke’s greatest venture yet came when she closed up shop after 40 years of business and was left with piles of excess material. It was these “little scraps,” Luke explained, that inspired her to start weaving bits of fabric into beautiful winter coats—coats that appear to be professionally crafted.“We’ve been inviting our neighbors and friends, anyone that seems interested,” Cowley said. “There will be a day where all of the bishops and clergy will come and take all the things that they need and want, [so] it directly impacts the community.”Despite the appreciation felt in the community for Luke’s expert craftsmanship, she’s far more interested in getting more people involved with volunteering.“[When] I took [the coats] over to the humanitarian center, they said, ‘Oh, bring them right in. We’ll take care of them,’ so I kept on sewing.”Luke found a home for her one-of-a-kind coats at the Richfield Humanitarian Center.“Nobody’s got a record like she has,” Cowley said. “She doesn’t hear very well. We’re getting up there in years, but she’s still there every single week, always doing what needs to be done. … She makes the coats in her own home, not just at the humanitarian center. … She’s an extra-miler in every respect.”Betty Luke has lived in Venice all her life—not quite Italy, but a quaint farming town just a few miles outside Richfield, Utah. In her mountain home, Luke has spent her 80-plus years perfecting a craft that has led her nimble fingers to many invaluable opportunities.The day Cowley is referring to is the Richfield Humanitarian Center’s annual Christmas Closet, where leaders of local clergy come pick up coats, blankets, quilts, toys, and other items for those in need.

“I like to sew. I’ve sewed all my life,” Luke said in an interview with the Church News. “I have operated power machines, been manager of a sewing plant, … and had a small business [where I owned] an upholstery shop.”

Ordinances Ready is a new FamilySearch tool that simplifies finding names for the temple, allowing you more time to serve your family and enjoy the blessings of the temple. Try it for yourself and read how others are using the Ordinances Ready feature.Before using Ordinances Ready, Garrett had never really done family history or temple work for his own ancestors. However, he did enjoy helping Amy, his wife, do temple work for her deceased family members. Several weeks ago, Garrett and his wife tried the new Ordinances Ready feature and found five of Garrett’s family members who needed temple work, including the cousin of his beloved grandfather. He felt that an instant bond was formed.Get to know each person, and take the names to the templeFeeling the spirit at all times: Sarah’s storyUsing the Family Tree app, you can get to know each person you are about to do ordinances for. Tap View Relationship to see how you are related, and tap View Person to look at life events, memories, and photos in Family Tree.Kirsten’s other teenage sons attend the temple almost every week, and they use this new feature to find and print temple names regularly using their own FamilySearch accounts. When Kirsten taught the youth in her ward how to use the feature as well, many ward members discussed how life-changing Ordinances Ready can be for the youth. As Kirsten summarized, “For the kids, this ease will be normal to them. Ancestors will always be on the forefront of their minds, and temple attendance will forever be more personal for all.”Sarah shared, “Being able to use the FamilySearch app has made it so much easier to feel the Spirit closer to me at all times. … It has helped me to feel closer to those who have passed and feel the love of my Father even stronger beside me.” One of the popular features on the FamilySearch Tree mobile app is called Ordinances Ready. It allows members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to use their device to choose available ordinances when going to the temple.

Tap the Ordinances Ready button and then choose an ordinance—baptism and confirmation, initiatory, endowment, sealing to parents, or sealing to spouse.

The app will search the tree and temple inventory for available ordinances, and soon you will have five names pop up!

Green means go—use Ordinances Ready for your next temple visitKirsten’s son Bennett just turned 12 and has loved the new Ordinances Ready feature after using it on one of his very first temple trips. Kirsten says, “It’s amazing to me that children who are going to the temple for the first time can take names as a norm in their temple attendance.”Ordinances Ready is becoming “the norm”: Kirsten’s storyNote on family names: If no available ordinances are found for family members, Ordinances Ready will retrieve available ordinances that have been submitted to the temple by any patron. These ordinances from temple inventory will be provided in the same order they were submitted to the temple. You can perform ordinances that have been submitted to the temple by others, whether or not you are directly related to those individuals.The new Ordinances Ready feature has already inspired many members, bringing them closer to their family and helping them participate in temple work. Here are Sarah, Garrett, and Kirsten’s stories.Recently, Sarah and her roommates at BYU–Idaho decided to start their semester by attending the temple together. Sarah showed her friends how to use the new Ordinances Ready feature on the Family Tree app, and each of them were able to find names of family members needing ordinances. How others are using Ordinances ReadyAfter you have looked at the names, tap Continue at the bottom of the screen to reserve the ordinances and print cards to take to the temple. (If you need help printing cards, the app will also give you a number you can take to the temple, where the cards can be printed for you.)Each person can take family names: Garrett’s storyGarrett and his family use the Ordinances Ready feature often now and feel it has elevated the temple experience for them individually and as a family. “Ordinances Ready has been such a blessing for our family,” they say, “and it is bringing promised blessings and spiritual power [as we perform] temple work for ancestors.”“Ordinance[s] Ready has made it more rewarding to go to the temple because I am always able to have my own names to work on. … I have truly felt the Spirit so much stronger as I’ve taken my own family names to the temple,” says Sarah Rocha.

In a horrific moment precipitated by evil, a bloodied and dazed Elder Dres Empey witnessed, in his words, “pure love.”His recovery from burn and shrapnel injuries is almost complete.Last year he began working for a hospitality management company that takes him to vacation spots around the state. He’s also a married man, thanks to a matchmaking relative.For Empey, the multifaceted pain from the 2016 Brussels terrorist bombing has largely faded. But like the scars and shrapnel, its lessons remain.“I’m feeling great physically, mentally, and emotionally,” he told the Church News. “I still have scars, and I still have shrapnel under my skin. I can push on it and feel the metal.”“My cousin was working at a hair salon and set me up on a blind date with a coworker.” He admits, laughing, that he will forever be in his cousin’s debt.That unified love and support was key “in turning all of this into an extremely positive experience,” he added. Two weeks later, Empey returned to his Utah home.“I actually wish that I thought more frequently about the bombing,” he said. “Whenever I think back to it, it makes me want to be more like that lady helping others.”The next several weeks forged almost endless memories for the young man from Santa Clara, Utah. Some are tragic and dark; others, bright and uplifting. But of all his bomb-related evocations, Empey chooses first to remember the unknown Muslim woman coming to the aid of his companion and friend.“I was so blessed because there were people around the world praying for us—people from all religious beliefs and backgrounds,” he said.A terrorist’s bomb had detonated in the check-in area of the Brussels Airport seconds earlier, killing more than a dozen people and injuring many more—including Elder Empey and three fellow missionaries.He has a bit of numbness in one foot. “But it’s not painful, just sometimes annoying.” Elder Mason Wells, left, and Elder Joseph Dresden Empey had been serving together as companions for five weeks in Brussels, a part of the France Paris Mission, before they were injured in a terrorist attack at the Brussels Airport on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Photo courtesy of the Empey family.They’re all busy. Mason Wells is a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy. Fanny Clain completed her mission to Ohio, returned home to France, and is now married.“But we will always have a connection,” he said. Despite being seriously injured in the 2016 Brussels Airport terrorist bombing, Dres Empey (shown with his wife, Elle) has returned to an athletic life. Photo courtesy of Dres Empey. As the third anniversary of the Brussels bombing approaches, Dres Empey, who was injured in the attack, enjoys life and spending time with his family and friends. Photo by Jason Swensen.“We need to always remember that people are going through things that are way more difficult than what I experienced,” he said. “We need to extend our love and support to them any way we can.”He and that one-time blind date, Elle Roberts, married in November of 2017.Latter-day Saints and many others were soon praying and posting social media well-wishes for the four injured missionaries, who were all being treated in Belgian hospitals.“When I first walked out of the airport doors there was a Muslim lady helping my companion, Elder [Mason] Wells,” he said. “While everyone else was running away, she decided to stick around and help people.”Almost three years have passed since the March 22, 2016, Brussels Airport suicide bombings. Elder Empey, Elder Wells, and senior missionary Elder Richard Norby were dropping off Sister Fanny Clain, who was traveling to the Provo MTC. They would be numbered among the hundreds of casualties in a series of terrorist attacks across the country.Empey knows he will forever be remembered for the Brussels bombing. And that’s OK. He’s grateful to both loved ones and strangers who helped him and his family during their crisis. Mason Wells and Joseph Dresden Empey recover from injuries they suffered in the March 22, 2016, Brussels Airport terrorist attack at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. Photo courtesy of Charlie Ehlert, University of Utah Health Care.As part of his recovery process, Empey took up rock climbing and enjoys scaling the red rocks near his southern Utah home.Last October he spent a few minutes catching up with Richard Norby at a mission reunion. He wishes he could speak more frequently with the other missionaries injured at the airport.

Church membership, number of congregations, and number of languages published by the Church

Missionaries, missions, and training centers

Temples

Humanitarian Services

Education, universities and colleges, and seminary and institute students

Genealogy, family history centers, and countries

Explore the graphical report in the Facts and Statistics section of the Church’s Newsroom website.The report contains worldwide statistics about:Have you ever wondered how many members live in a certain country or area of the world? Or perhaps you want to learn how the Church is growing where you served your mission.

And even though they’ve only had a few weeks to implement the new schedule and new curriculum, things are already different, Brent Daire explained.Making the Sabbath more holyWhen the new curriculum was announced and detailed by President Russell M. Nelson in his closing address during the October 2018 general conference, he said, “The new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith.”Rather than struggling to get their boys to sit down for a few minutes while they attempt to read a few scripture passages, family study time has become something to look forward to for their family.After turning the light on and off a few times, Brent Daire and his wife, Maika Daire, explained to their young sons that darkness cannot exist in the light.“We gave them a turn on the torch [flashlight] each. We then spoke about the scripture we had read previously in John, about Jesus Christ being the ‘light’ and ‘darkness’ being some of the bad or sad things,” Brent Daire explained. And when he asked his sons who is a light that can help them when they feel sad or bad, Enoch, age 2, proudly exclaimed, “Jesus!”Before the start of the new year, which marked both the implementation of the new Sunday Church meeting schedule and the implementation of the new home-centered curriculum, Sundays were an exhausting day for the Daire family.“We had very little time for each other, and if we did we were just as likely to collapse into bed for one of those long Sunday naps,” Brent Daire said.And her personal study, in turn, helps contribute to their family study.“We asked them where the darkness had gone,” Brent Daire recounted. “They said, ‘It’s gone!’”The lesson, which lasted only a few minutes to help keep the attention of the two young boys, is just one example of the creative ways the Daire family—and thousands of other Latter-day Saint families—have begun implementing the new Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families curriculum in their home each week.Ether, age 4, excitedly added, “Heavenly Father will send Jesus to help me!”“It fundamentally shifts the gospel experience back onto us and gives us the tools and the time to do what the Lord would have us do,” he said. “It even facilitates time and gives a reason for us as a couple to sit down and seek revelation together. … Every time we do that, our revelatory capacity and experiences increase, our testimonies become stronger, our marriage becomes stronger. … Home truly becomes heaven on earth.”In some wards, attendance and participation at Sunday meetings have also noticeably increased since the start of the new year.“We all agree that we have never seen so many people come prepared having read the material before. It is amazing!” said Newell, who also has three Primary-age children. “You see so many more people participating and discussing. In the Primary classes … children are sharing more comments and many are starting with, ‘My family talked about this,’ or ‘My family did that.’ It’s wonderful!”“The boys now run to the couch when we say it’s scripture time,” Brent Daire said. “They are excited to give answers to questions. They are excited to say the prayer or pick someone to say prayer, and they are excited to watch a video or play a game.”“One thing that will always be true of very young children is that deep doctrinal discussions are very rarely practical,” Beevers said. “I admit I wondered how we would put Come, Follow Me into practice for our children at the ages they are, because the focus has seemed to be on getting doctrinal discussions, and I just didn’t know how we would manage that. However, I’ve found that most of the chapters outlined have had a story that worked well to talk about with young children.”As the Sunday School president in the Orem Utah Vineyard Stake, Mattson Newell has spoken with many families about the new curriculum in addition to family he has in Sweden and in England. “I had been so focused on getting through a lot of pages every day, but the Come, Follow Me program only covers one or two chapters a week. It’s been a real change to slow down and focus on what things I can get out of individual chapters and verses rather than getting larger stories in one sitting.”“We have become more prepared and more focused on learning together. We now prepare for the Sabbath on a Saturday night by getting everything prepared for Sunday like our clothing, shoes, Come, Follow Me journal, pens, pencils, etc., our scriptures, and so forth … so in the morning we just need to have our breakfast and then start on our Sunday spiritual journey.”She explained how having the children act out the various scriptures has prompted them to point out elements of the stories that they as parents haven’t really noticed or thought about. The children also recall the stories really well, she said, and they enjoy telling the stories back to their parents throughout the week.“We have more time in the morning together now to prepare and get ready. When we get to church, our load feels as if it’s been halved. When we get home … we have a family time.”The curriculum puts the focus onto the scriptures and the doctrine and gives each person a chance to engage with them on a personal level, and, as Gilbertson explained, it has “impressed upon my mind how we still have a lot to learn and how sometimes our teachers can be our children.”A fundamental shift Zach, Luke, and Tyler Friesen debate who is the artist in the family at home in Langley, British Columbia, on Sunday, September 16, 2018. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.Her daughters, ages 14 and 7, ask a lot of questions during their weekly Come, Follow Me family study time.It was an exciting lesson, Brent Daire said, and after a few more laughs and a closing prayer, the little Tasmanian family, members of the Devonport Australia Stake, spilled out of their makeshift fort to continue on with their evening activities. Scott Friesen and his son Zach Friesen play guitar at home in Langley, British Columbia, on Sunday, September 16, 2018. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.Driving to and from church took 45 minutes each way, and with their callings and responsibilities at church and the three-hour meeting schedule, they were typically away from home at least six hours each Sunday. Jenny Friesen listens as her son Luke Friesen reads at home in Langley, British Columbia, on Sunday, September 16, 2018. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.Huddled together on the bottom bunk bed, covered with sheets to block out all the light, Ether and Enoch Daire giggled with glee when their dad, Brent Daire, suddenly flooded their dark makeshift fort with light by turning on a handheld lamp.Beevers, along with her husband, Joel Beevers, and their three children—Katie, 4; Timothy, 3; and Nathaniel, 1—all participate in gospel study and family time centered around the new curriculum.For Jessica Beevers of the Nottingham England Stake and her family, the switch to the new curriculum was a big change from the way they previously studied the scriptures.Newell said he has also noticed that his children are retaining more of what they learn. “They are hearing it at home, from their parents and each other, and then they are hearing it from their teachers and peers at church. Their retention is increasing with what they are learning because of this repetition and focus, and they are becoming better versed in the gospel and, more importantly, it is strengthening their testimony.”For Judy Gilbertson, a member of the Adelaide Australia Marion Stake, her two youngest daughters who are still living at home, and her husband, Glen Gilbertson, Sundays have become special each week as they have increased their focus on keeping the Sabbath day holy.Putting that home-centered curriculum into practice since the beginning of the new year has been empowering for their family, Brent Daire explained.

Elder Stevenson closed by sharing his own testimony. “As has been done for 75 years on this campus I offer my witness of Joseph Smith.”Elder Stevenson, a USU graduate, said he was grateful to be speaking in a location where he had “home court advantage.”LOGAN, UTAH“It seems during this time the heavens were opened and there was a waterfall of revelation,” said Elder Stevenson.Joseph also applied to copyright the Book of Mormon, interviewed printers and selected E. B. Grandin, and negotiated financing for the printing of the book.Sister Stevenson also offered her testimony that President Nelson is a “true and living prophet on the earth today.”“I am very grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and for the Book of Mormon, which gives us great peace and direction.”Elder Stevenson also shared his witness of the “miraculous miracle”—as President Nelson fondly calls the Book of Mormon. Elder Stevenson said: “What we do know is what was done is an absolute miracle—even in today’s standard with modern tools of electronic dictionaries, word processing, machine learning in translation, the pace and subsequent work product are almost unthinkable.”With Oliver as the principal scribe, Joseph translated 491 pages (269,510 words) in an 85-day period.He closed by sharing the testimony of his 5th great-grandfather, Edward Stevenson, who heard Joseph Smith preach the gospel in Pontiac, Michigan. The prophet spoke with such power “it was said every person in the room knew what he said was true,” Elder Stevenson said.Offering the Joseph Smith Memorial Devotional address, Elder Stevenson reflected on his youth in Logan, Utah, and on the history of the annual event, now in its 75th year. Every Church President since David O. McKay has spoken at the devotional.She expressed deep gratitude for Joseph Smith. “I know Joseph Smith was a true and living prophet,” she said. Elder Gary E. Stevenson sits on the stand with his wife, Lesa, at the Joseph Smith Memorial Devotional on January 27, 2019. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.Edward Stevenson would later write his testimony. “I can very well remember many of the words of the boy Prophet as they were uttered in simplicity, but with a power which was irresistible to all present. … With uplifted hand he said: ‘I am a witness that there is a God, for I saw Him in open day, while praying in a silent grove, in the spring of 1820.’” Sister Lesa Stevenson speaks at the Joseph Smith Memorial Devotional, sponsored by the Logan, Utah, institute on January 27, 2019. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver. Elder Gary E. Stevenson speaks with youth at the Joseph Smith Memorial Devotional, sponsored by the Logan, Utah, institute on January 27, 2019. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.Through the Book of Mormon, Sister Stevenson said she came to more fully understand the Savior’s love for all of God’s children.Holding up his cell phone, Elder Stevenson told the congregation they carry the Book of Mormon with them every day. “My invitation to you: find a little more screen time with the Book of Mormon.”Also during that period, the Aaronic Priesthood and Melchizedek Priesthood were restored. Joseph received 13 revelations that are recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. In addition, Joseph and Emma moved from Harmony, Pennsylvania, to Fayette, New York.“The power of the Book of Mormon comes with each reader’s mighty change of heart,” said Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on January 27.“The Book of Mormon is filled with miracles for those who read it,” he said. “This is a book that brings faith, happiness, and joy.”Sister Stevenson spoke about following President Russell M. Nelson’s direction in the October 2018 general conference for the women of the Church to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. “We know our prophet will never ask us to do anything we are not able to do,” she said.Quoting Hiram Page, Elder Stevenson continued: “To say that a man of Joseph’s ability, who at the time did not know how to pronounce the name Nephi, could write a book of six hundred pages, as correct as the Book of Mormon, without supernatural power, … it would be treating the God of heaven with contempt, to deny these testimonies.”At the time Joseph was just 23 years old and Oliver just 22; those assisting them were also young—Emma Smith, 24, David Whitmer, 24, and E. B. Grandin, 23—“a small group of what we would call millennials today.”Sharing his sure testimony of the Restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Stevenson spoke to the congregation about the day 190 years ago on April 7, 1829, when Joseph Smith continued the translation of the Book of Mormon, with Oliver Cowdery now as his scribe, in Harmony, Pennsylvania.Quoting the introduction of the Book of Mormon, Elder Stevenson called the book the “keystone of our religion.”More than 9,000 Latter-day Saints gathered in the Spectrum building on the Utah State University campus for the devotional.He asked the congregation, “What are you going to do to make the Book of Mormon the keystone of your testimony?”

FamilySearch.org and Family Tree Classes will be offered every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. mountain daylight time (MDT) throughout the month of February.If you are unable to attend a class in person or online, most sessions are recorded and can be viewed later online at your convenience at Family History Library classes and webinars. Online classes are noted on the schedule as webinars. Webinar attendees need to click the link next to the class title at the scheduled date and time to attend the class online. Those attending in person simply go to the room noted. Invite your family and friends.Classes focus on beginning skills using the free FamilySearch Family Tree, such as attaching sources, adding memories, and learning how to merge duplicate information correctly. Some classes are offered in Spanish. Participants may attend in person or online. See the calendar below for the complete list of classes. No registration is required.

3.New icon for Come, Follow Me supportThis year the Friend is adding new features to help parents and Primary teachers use Come, Follow Me lessons with children at home and in the classroom. 2.Illustrated Come, Follow Me scripture stories1.Come, Follow Me color-by-number scripture reading chartLook for the diamond-shaped icons to find stories and activities that support the Come, Follow Me lessons for families and Primary. For example, the Family Night Fun page includes home evening ideas to support the new curriculum. To help children worldwide follow the Savior’s example of kindness, the Friend is inviting them to send in paper flowers, bugs, and other garden creatures, along with a short description of a kind deed that they’ve done or that someone has done for them. Each month the Friend will show how the kindness garden is growing. More instructions on how to send in a submission can be found here.The following additions in the Friend will give parents and Primary teachers resources for home-centered, Church-supported learning. For children worldwide, these features will also be included in the new Friend section of the Liahona. (See related story.)4.Help the Friend grow a kindness garden!

A diamond-shaped icon denotes each Friend article or activity that is correlated with the Come, Follow Me program.

Each issue will feature a new article showing members of the Quorum of the Twelve ministering around the world. The articles will appear in order of seniority, starting with President M. Russell Ballard. Each month the Friend will help children accept President Nelson’s invitation to study “The Living Christ.” A monthly activity page will encourage them to memorize a short portion of “The Living Christ.” Then they can do a related activity and color and cut out a key word to remind them what they learned.

Children will learn each month about a new section of “The Living Christ.”

Children will learn that they belong to a worldwide family of Saints as they learn about a different country each month. The new feature includes testimonies from Primary children in that country, information about the Church there, and other fun cultural facts. Readers can then turn the page to find a true story about a child from that country.Children can track their family’s scripture reading each week by filling in the color-by-number scripture chart in the January issue. Each week of 2019 is assigned a different New Testament scripture corresponding with the Come, Follow Me curriculum, giving children and families a fun, visual way to track their progress over the months. For more Come, Follow Me ideas, visit lessonhelps.lds.org. You can also subscribe to the Friendhere or submit your feedback on the new features by emailing friend@ldschurch.org. This year children are invited to send in garden-themed cutouts telling how they’ve shown or experienced kindness. Each issue will feature a new country for children to learn about.6.Learn about “The Living Christ” Each issue of the Friend will include an illustrated scripture story from the month’s Come, Follow Me passages.“The new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families,” said President Russell M. Nelson. “I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time … your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease” (“Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints,” Oct. 2018 general conference). 7.Travel the world with the Friend5.“Apostles around the World” articlesEach issue of the Friend will include a beautifully illustrated scripture story from the month’s Come, Follow Me passages, told in language simple enough for young children to understand. A related coloring page will help children remember the stories they’re learning about at home and in the classroom. The new Apostles around the World page features the ministry of each Apostle.

Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé speaks to youth and their leaders from the São Paulo West Regional Council gathered for a special youth devotional at the São Paulo Stake Center on January 19, 2019.The two leaders visited the Brazil Missionary Training Center Saturday, January 19, where a crowd of almost 400 missionaries from all over Brazil, Latin America, Africa, and the U.S. waited to hear them speak.Speaking to 900 youth and their leaders and bishops from the São Paulo West Regional Council gathered for a special youth devotional on Saturday, January 19, at the São Paolo Stake Center, Bishop Caussé talked about the importance of communicating to everyone we know that we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He concluded by leading the large audience in the Primary song “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé and Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy visit with Brazil Area President Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis (right) and Elder W. Mark Bassett (left) after the dedication of the new Beehive Clothing and Distribution Center in the Embu district of Brazil on January 21, 2019. Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé speaks during the dedication of the new São Paulo Temple Visitors’ Center on January 20, 2019. Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé greets people gathered for the dedication of the new Beehive Clothing and Distribution Center in the Embu district of Brazil on January 21, 2019. Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy greets youth from the São Paulo West Regional Council gathered for a special youth devotional at the São Paulo Stake Center on January 19, 2019. Youth and their leaders and bishops from the São Paulo West Regional Council gather for a special youth devotional January 19, 2019, at the São Paulo Stake Center to hear messages from Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy and Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé. Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé speaks during the dedication of the new Beehive Clothing and Distribution Center in the Embu district of Brazil on January 21, 2019.Before returning to Salt Lake City January 22, Elder Maynes and Bishop Caussé also traveled 10 miles from São Paulo to the Embu district to attend the dedication of the new Beehive Clothing and Distribution Center in the Embu district on Monday, January 21. The new 65,000-square-foot facility will manufacture temple clothing and store and distribute essential gospel products.Youth who responded mentioned decisions including being baptized, serving a full-time mission, and marrying in the temple. Each of these important decisions can be made during your youth, Elder Maynes told them.Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy and Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé left a snow-covered Salt Lake City for an “exciting” and “busy” brief visit to sunny São Paulo, Brazil, January 19–21. Two missionaries from the Brazil MTC gather to hear messages from Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy and Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé.On Sunday, January 20, the leaders joined the Brazil Area Presidency in a highly anticipated event for the Brazilian Saints—the dedication of the new São Paulo Temple Visitors’ Center. Elder and Sister Casado, directors of the new visitors’ center, 40 stake presidents and their wives, five mission presidents, and 40 sister missionaries called to serve attended the event, where Brazil Area President Marcos A. Aidukaitis offered the dedicatory prayer.“I loved everything they said,” she said, “and I tried to take notes so that I can read them again when I am facing my own challenges.” Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy speaks during the dedication of the new São Paulo Temple Visitors’ Center on January 20, 2019. From left: Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé, Elder W. Mark Bassett of the Brazil Area Presidency, Brazil Area President Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis, Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella of the Brazil Area Presidency, and Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy visit the new Beehive Clothing and Distribution Center in the Embu district of Brazil on Monday, January 21, 2019. The new 65,000-square-foot facility will manufacture temple clothing and store and distribute essential gospel products.“I feel way more confident about sharing the gospel with everyone after listening to Bishop Caussé and Elder Maynes,” said Elder Samuel Mogire, the first missionary from Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the MTC in Brazil. “It was a powerful experience for me.” Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé and Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella and Elder W. Mark Bassett of the Brazil Area Presidency visit the Christus at the new São Paulo Temple Visitors’ Center, which was dedicated January 20, 2019.

Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé speaks to missionaries at the Brazil MTC January 19.

Youth and their leaders and bishops from the São Paulo West Regional Council gather for a special youth devotional on January 19, 2019, at the São Paulo Stake Center to hear messages from Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy and Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé.“Brazil is always a spiritual feast,” Bishop Causeé said.Elder Maynes asked the youth to imagine for a moment that they were 80 years old and had experienced a wonderful and fulfilling life. “If a reporter from the Liahona were to ask, ‘What are three decisions you made that led to having a wonderful life?’ what do you think those decisions were?” People attend the dedication of the new São Paulo Temple Visitors’ Center on January 20, 2019.Giovanna Lopes da Costa, a 15-year-old from the Novo Osasco Ward and one of the hundreds of youth in the congregation, filled her notebook with quotes from Bishop Caussé and Elder Maynes.

According to the Church’s Missionary Department, since 2012, when President Thomas S. Monson announced that young men could begin serving at age 18 and women at 19, the number of missionaries entering the field between July and September has increased significantly, at times significantly influencing the effectiveness of mission and missionary training center resources such as housing, teaching staff, and trainers.According to the website, the tool is also “designed to help reduce the likelihood of a missionary asking to return home a few weeks early for school, work opportunities, or family events.”

How the mission availability date they list in their application influences their desired mission start and release dates.

When their stake president submits their online recommendation influences their desired mission start and release dates.

The year of school gave Olivier “both time to prepare myself spiritually and also time to become a more independent, well-developed individual. … I found that this year of preparation served me very well. I was happy at college, and I had a clear goal in mind for myself. I had a testimony and a desire to share the light that Christ had brought into my life. I worked hard and I achieved my goal and served a mission.”As a result, the Church takes great care to balance a prospective missionary’s availability date with the needs and capacities of the mission and MTC to which he or she is called, while also dealing with possible visa or other such considerations.“Using the new tool has been really helpful as far as planning when I can go because it really allows you to look at your options,” said Abby Child, a senior in high school from Bountiful, Utah, who plans to serve a mission after she graduates. She said the tool will help her feel less stressed about her return date and when to submit her papers, plus, “It was really simple to use. It was very visual, and I’m a visual learner. It was nice to see my options laid out.” Mission Release Date Planning Tool.Lucille Lynne Stevenson, who served in the Illinois Chicago Mission (2015–2017) said, “I knew by my sophomore year in high school that I would serve, so my plan had always been to go as soon as I could. I felt that Heavenly Father needed me out there sooner.” Serving soon after her 19th birthday “doesn’t mean I didn’t prepare for it,” she said. “I had honestly been preparing temporally and spiritually to be able to go for years.”Stevenson’s advice to prospective missionaries is don’t wait to prepare. “If going on a mission is something you already know is right for you, be serious about preparing now.”If a prospective missionary's circumstances allow, selecting a non-peak availability date may be something he or she might consider.“In some cases, they may leave as soon as they turn 18 or 19. In other cases, they may decide to spend a little extra time preparing. That decision is best left up to the missionary and their parents as they prayerfully consider their circumstances.”Franco encourages prospective missionaries planning on serving at a later date to “be involved in something good: school, work, service, or working on a personal goal,” and to save as much money as possible. “Also, surround yourselves with good, wholesome people: family, friends, ward family, and institute,” he added.In a video released on mormonnewsroom.org January 30, Elder Nielson said, “Prospective missionaries should be prayerful and thoughtful as they determine the best time to begin their missionary service.”“Missionaries who spend a semester at college or working can gain useful life experiences that will prepare them for service,” Elder Nielson said. “They can have more individual attention in the missionary training center and be assigned to a more experienced first companion as they arrive in the field when they leave at a non-peak time.”

A new online mission planning tool from the Church’s Missionary Department can help prospective missionaries consider the timing of their missionary service and leave when they are best prepared.

Submission Planning Tool.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a new tool to help prospective missionaries consider the best time frame for their missionary service.“This planning tool uses actual data updating continuously based on the Church’s missionary needs worldwide,” said Elder Brent H. Nielson, Executive Director of the Missionary Department. “While it does not guarantee a missionary will leave on a certain date, it will help our young men and women be more deliberate and thoughtful as they decide when they will be best prepared to serve the Lord as a missionary.”Max Taylor Olivier, who served in the Uruguay Montevideo Mission (2014–2016), said, “If you feel like [serving a mission] is for you, then only you can know when you’re ready to go. It’s entirely an individual, personal matter. Unfortunately, this decision is fraught with social pressure and tension, but do your best to ignore that.”Jose Franco, who served in the Oklahoma City Mission (2011–2013) agreed that choosing when to serve a mission “is a very personal choice” between the individual and the Lord. “Everyone has a different timeline,” he said. “Some people wait, like myself, and others go right away.”“As an almost 21-year-old on the mission, I was more matured,” Franco said. I had completed my associate’s degree before starting my mission. I had more life experience that helped me relate to investigators. I served near three universities, so I was able to relate to the students who we often talked to. I also had earned money to pay for my mission. This made me appreciate my service even more.”The online mission planning tool, which includes a Mission Release Date Planning Tool and a Submission Planning Tool, helps prospective missionaries understand:In the video, Elder Nielson said that any perceived social expectation that prospective missionaries are supposed to turn in their papers as soon as they turn 18 or 19 is not the case.School scheduling is an important factor for prospective missionaries to consider when setting their availability dates. For some, their preferred service is based on the school year, often leaving during the summer months. Others choose to defer scholarships and grants, which some colleges will hold for up to 2 ½ years.Franco said despite feeling an almost immediate pressure to serve a mission after his baptism at age 18, beginning his service when he was almost 21 was “truly my own decision” and was not made to please others.Advice for while you wait to serveOther considerations include worthiness, family needs, finances, and health.In the months of August, September, and October, the MTC in Provo, Utah, has as much as three times as many missionaries as other months, like April, for example. In fact, the influx of missionaries entering the field in the same months can lead to crowded MTCs and a missionary force that keeps fluctuating throughout the year.Stevenson is grateful for her mission experiences. “I came home with a new sense of confidence and understanding of who I really was. I also had a greater perspective of the world and the challenges individuals face that are different from mine. This helped me a lot as I started college again and began to navigate more unknowns of my young adult years.”In addition, an oversized group of missionaries may limit leadership opportunities, and when a large number of experienced missionaries is all at once replaced with a large number of new missionaries all at once, missionary work may suffer.Considerations about when to serveWhen President Monson made the announcement, he said, “I am not suggesting that all young men will—or should—serve at this earlier age” (“Welcome to Conference,” Oct. 2012 general conference).“Trust the Lord’s timing,” she said. “If He needs you to go sooner [or later] than you planned or expected, trust Him. He’ll provide a way for it to work out.”ChallengesOlivier said that when President Monson announced the age change, he “knew it wasn’t the right time for me.” He had already planned on doing a year of college, he said, and with his parents’ support, he moved out of the house.

The Ingoglia home after the Camp Fire in Paradise, California. Photo courtesy of Angela Grange.Chambers will always remember that dark November day when ash the size of silver dollars rained down from the sky, when he sped 80 mph down the road to make sure the people he loved were safe.Although there is still a long way to go in getting the people of Paradise back on their feet—children were out of school for weeks, and finding a place to live or rent has been extremely difficult—of all the things the people need, Grange and Ingoglia said prayers are on the top of the list.It’s his entire life.Paradise isn’t just a mark on the map for a man like Chambers.Since Ingoglia’s home was right on the edge of the canyon, though, they knew right away there wasn’t a chance her home would make it or that anything could be saved. But Ingoglia hoped her daughter in Paradise would be fine, never dreaming that the fire would burn its way clear across town to where she lived.Going forwardStill, when Thanksgiving came around just weeks after the fire, Grange said there was plenty to be thankful for. Grange’s father had originally scheduled a leg surgery just days before the fire and had changed plans, deciding to visit Grange in Utah instead. Had they gone through with the surgery, Grange’s father would have still been recovering when the wildfire came. Being elderly and living on a property on acres of land, the chance of them making it out safely would have been small.From Fourth of July celebrations in the summer with American flags lining the street to Johnny Appleseed Days in October with homemade apple pies for sale, growing up in this small town in California was something of a dream for Sean Chambers. He remembers the sweet relief of swimming holes in the canyon on sweltering hot days, cutting down Christmas trees in December for the living room, chocolate festivals, pizza trucks, and a community that felt more like family than neighbors.“I call my sister almost every single day because some days are really good and she’s hanging in there and some days she’s falling apart,” said Grange. “It’s just really hard. So I guess that’s the only thing I can do right now and the best thing I can do.”Grange’s mother, Irene Ingoglia, happened to be visiting her daughter in Utah with her husband at the time of the fire. Ingoglia was out taking a walk when she was notified on her phone that she and her husband would need to evacuate—even though they were several states away.“I want to be there helping them, and so this is how I’ve been able to get through this, is throw myself into finding ways to serve the people of Paradise,” said Grange.Not everyone will be able to rebuild in Paradise. Some members of the community didn’t have insurance, Chambers said, and many are elderly and will pick up and move elsewhere.Seeing the impact the fire has had on Grange has made the situation “more real” for ward members, said Grange’s bishop, Olympus 7th Ward Bishop Jeff Beck. Understanding how it has affected someone close to the situation, he added, has made all the difference.“Just to see the people at the Elks lodge, see the looks on their faces of not only defeat, but shame in their eyes. … You could just feel it in the air,” he said. “It was heartbreaking.”“Children are suffering because of the loss of the memories they had there,” she said. “And so they need something to do about that.”Reaching out“You hear that phrase, ‘your thoughts and prayers,’ and you think it’s kind of a saying, but you feel it. I felt everybody loving and supporting me and my family,” said Grange. “There are all these angels rallying around when people are suffering, and that’s really, really special.”Ash and debris now blanket Paradise, California. The town is just a ghost of what it once was since the Camp Fire tore through homes and businesses on November 8, 2018, killing 88 people and destroying 18,804 structures. For outsiders, one might think the devastation would mean packing up and leaving. But for locals like Chambers, it means dusting off and starting all over again in the place he loves.Ingoglia has taken to calling her friends on a daily basis. Now that she’s returned to California with her husband, she said they’ve also found peace by attending the Sacramento California Temple with friends and have felt a “healing power” there. She’s also asked her grandchildren to draw pictures of her home so they can always remember their favorite places there. Ingoglia plans on putting the pictures in a book for their family and said the process has been a therapeutic one for her grandkids.Away from their friends and family, the fire left Grange and Ingoglia desperate to help.“It’s one thing to read on the news and see all the images, and it’s another thing to take a step back and realize these people—they have nowhere to go,” said Bishop Beck. “It’s heartbreaking.” The Paradise 1st Ward meetinghouse in Paradise, California, on Saturday, January 12, 2019—two months after the Camp Fire destroyed 1,400 homes and hundreds of businesses. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.“I wouldn’t want to move anywhere else, especially after seeing everybody come together like they have,” said Chambers. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”When Angela Grange heard about the fire in Paradise, the news hit her hard. Currently a resident of Holladay, Utah, she grew up in Paradise like her nephew Chambers. The people there, she said, have been her best friends since she moved there as a 12-year-old. Her sister also settled down in the area, and her parents have made it their home for the past 40 years.But while that day has changed his life and the life of his community forever, he isn’t giving up.President Russell M. Nelson visited Paradise on January 13, offering words of comfort to Latter-day Saints in the area just two days after his daughter Wendy Nelson Maxfield died after a courageous battle with cancer. Though struggling with his own grief, President Nelson said, “There is nothing we would rather do than to try to be of help to others.” Family and friends gather at the Grange home to collect donations for the Paradise, California, fire victims. Photo courtesy of Angela Grange.The community has always been close. Since the fire, though, Chambers said there’s been a kind of bond between Paradise residents that runs deeper than before. Within half a day after the fire hit Paradise, $3,000 worth of blankets, clothes, shoes, and jeans were being driven to the Chico Elks Lodge and distributed to those in need. The memory of that is something Chambers will never quite be able to erase from his mind.“I felt like the Lord blessed us and was watching over us,” said Ingoglia, who believes that her husband, who had suffered two previous heart attacks, may have had an additional attack due to the trauma if they had been in Paradise during the fire. “It wasn’t our time to die, I guess, because I think if we had been there it may have been fatal. … So, we’re very thankful.”The fire“We’re all from Paradise,” he said. “We all went to Paradise High School. We played football, wrestled on the same team. … When we’d go fishing, we’d all hike on the same fishing trails. I think that since we’ve lost most of our town … that’s what’s brought us together most is that we all have something in common and all want it … to be right and normal again.”“We can always rebuild,” he said. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

These gift cards and cash, collected by Angela Grange, were donated to the Paradise, California, wildfire victims. Photo courtesy of Angela Grange.

Chambers was born and raised in Paradise. His grandparents moved to the area in the late ’70s, putting in roots for good when they built their home there in the ’80s. Ever since, that home has always been something of a safe haven for their family, a gathering place they’ve counted on.Helping the people of Paradise became a family affair. Grange collected over $10,000 in donations over the past months, many of which her brother delivered to the fire victims over Thanksgiving. Additionally, Grange helped initiate a fundraiser at her ward’s Christmas party, which raised roughly $5,000. Church members in Grange’s ward also wrote cards and tied blankets for the fire victims, while her sister who lost her home acted as a liaison to communicate what the community’s needs were.“We started thinking about what we can do to help others and it took us from thinking of ourselves [to thinking about] what can we do to relieve their suffering?”There’s just something about Paradise.The behind-the-scenes help for the Paradise fire victims has been wide in scale these past months. Over 14,000 toys were collected for children who were displaced in Paradise, and the Chico California Stake Relief Society president Jo Anne Madsen received over 4,000 packages at her home for members of the Paradise community. The Ingoglia home before the Camp Fire in Paradise, California. Photo courtesy of Angela Grange.

The Hong Kong China Temple. The statue of the angel Moroni atop the Hong Kong China Temple.The temple serves Latter-day Saints in China, Singapore, and Mongolia. The Hong Kong China Temple.The temple—was dedicated on May 26, 1996, by President Gordon B. Hinckley, who came up with the untraditional structure during a 1991 visit to the area to review potential sites. (Learn more about President Hinckley's experience.)The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced January 29 that the Hong Kong China Temple will close on July 8, 2019, for renovation.Dedicated under British rule, the Hong Kong China Temple houses other Church service centers in the same building in the residential district of Kowloon Tong.

Elder William R. Bradford, emeritus General Authority Seventy, died January 24, 2019, at 85.

Elder Bradford served as president of the Chile Santiago and Chile Santiago South Missions from 1975 to 1978.From that missionary atmosphere, “I learned that missionary work can only be done one way,” Elder Bradford said. “That is when a person will live his life in such a way that the Spirit can work through him and testify to others.”As a General Authority Seventy, Elder Bradford spoke nine times in general conference.Elder William R. Bradford, emeritus General Authority Seventy and former president of the Houston Texas Temple and the Chile Santiago and Chile Santiago South Missions, died on January 24, 2019, in Bountiful, Utah. He was 85.Elder Bradford attended Brigham Young University before serving a mission in Japan from 1953 to 1955. When he returned, he met and married Mary Ann Bird. They are the parents of six children and have 27 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.Soon after they were married, Elder Bradford was called into military service and assigned to duty in Fort Devens, Massachusetts, for three years. They then moved to McAllen, Texas, where he and his brother established a citrus and truck garden farm. This business evolved into an import business that operated in Texas, Mexico, and Central America.“To all of you within the sound of my voice who are not following the pattern of the Master, change,” he said. “Open your hearts to his love. Open your doors to his servants. Let them come into your homes and teach you what you must do to be like him.”In April 1976, he spoke on following Christ’s pattern.Working along the border gave Elder Bradford the opportunity to learn Spanish and work with the Mexican American people. In south Texas, he served as a member of a district presidency, district mission president, and president of the McAllen Branch.In addition to these callings, Elder Bradford has also served as an Assistant Executive Director of the Church's Curriculum Department, managing director, executive administrator, and area supervisor. Following his release as a General Authority Seventy in 2003, Elder and Sister Bradford were called to serve as president and matron of the Houston Texas Temple from 2006 to 2009.In a November 1, 1975, Church News article, Elder Bradford shared how missionary work was a part of every aspect of his life. “I have spent most of my life in the mission field and I look forward to being a missionary for the rest of my life,” he said.While serving as president of the Chile Santiago Mission, Elder Bradford was called to serve as a new member of the reconstituted First Quorum of the Seventy in October 1975. In that general conference, Elder Bradford bore his testimony, saying, “My father taught me not to be a toe-dipper, but to plunge in and bathe all over in the gospel.”“I am very impressed with Chile,” he said. “The people are great. Their attitudes and the effort they are willing to make for a cause I have never found in a people before. They are dedicated to rebuilding their nation, and they are filled with patriotism and desire.”A public viewing will be held from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 3, at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 295 Main Street, Bountiful, and Monday morning at the meetinghouse from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. prior to the funeral services.Born in Springville, Utah, to Rawsel W. and Mary Waddoups Bradford on October 25, 1933, Elder Bradford moved to Hawaii at the age of 12 when his father served two missions there. His grandfather Bradford was a missionary in Hawaii in 1906, serving six years and doing considerable work on the temple there. His grandfather on his mother’s side, William M. Waddoups, served as the first president of the Laie Hawaii Temple from 1919 to 1930. He also served as a mission president in Hawaii, Samoa, and New Zealand.Funeral services will be held on Monday, February 4, at 11:00 a.m. at the Eagleridge Ward meetinghouse, 351 Lofty Lane, North Salt Lake, Utah.In his last general conference address in October 1999, Elder Bradford counseled members to do all they can to become righteous.“Striving to live righteously is attempting to do all that we can in obedience,” he said. “With this comes the inner peace and comfort that in doing all we can, the plan of God will be accomplished in our behalf. No other feeling in the soul of man can bring the joy and happiness than that of knowing you are doing all you can to become righteous.”

Joao Victor Rodrigues Gondim, 20, of São Paulo, Brazil, had been serving in the Portugal Lisbon Mission since July 2017. The cause of his death is unknown at this time, according to a statement from the Church.“Our hearts go out to his family as they mourn his passing,” said Daniel Woodruff, Church spokesman. “We pray they will feel peace and support during this difficult time.” Map of Lisbon, Portugal. Graphic by Aaron Thorup.The Church is providing counseling to the missionaries who witnessed this tragedy.A Latter-day Saint missionary in Portugal died Monday, January 28, after collapsing during a soccer game with other missionaries.

Go to donations.lds.org. (You can also navigate to it on LDS.org by selecting My Account and Ward in the upper right corner of your screen and then choosing Donations.)

In the left margin, click on Donor Statements. Then select which tax form you want to print: Official Task Statement or Statement of Contributions.

Adding a membership record number to your LDS AccountFor additional questions or help, contact your ward or branch clerk. For more help adding your MRN to your LDS Account, go to ldsaccount.lds.org/contactsupport.If you have donated through Online Donations (donations.lds.org) and logged in using an LDS Account associated with your membership record number (MRN), then your statement will include all your donations, including any donations you made directly to your ward or branch.You can print your official Tax Summary Statement directly from LDS.org.If you have used an LDS Account that was not associated with a membership record number (MRN), then you should add your record number to your account so that future statements will include all of your donations:

Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles with his wife, Sister Patricia Holland, tour the Church site to be used for a temple in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, April 20, 2018. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.

Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy speaks at the groundbreaking for the Bangkok Thailand Temple on Saturday, January 26, 2019.

Shovels await the ceremonial breaking of the ground to begin construction on the Bangkok Thailand Temple on January 26, 2019. The Church will build a 44,405-square-foot, six-story temple with multiple spires reaching heavenward.One Thai member, Sister Wipharat Uanphoklang, spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony on what building a temple in Thailand means to her family.On Saturday, January 26, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints broke ground for its first temple in Thailand.“My heart is filled with joy and gratitude to be here today,” Elder Gay said in the Newsroom release. “Because of the faithfulness of the saints in Thailand, a house of the Lord will soon be built in this country and many will have the opportunity to participate in temple worship with their family and partake of the eternal blessings that come with it.”Local community leaders participated in the ceremony joined by 700 members of the Church. Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy presided at the groundbreaking. The temple will be located in the business area of Bangkok.According to Newsroom, the Church will build a 44,405-square-foot, six-story temple with multiple spires. Additionally, a 91,370-square-foot building will feature two religious meetinghouses, seminary and institute facilities, Church offices and housing. Elder Wisit Khanakham, an Area Seventy, offers remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bangkok Thailand Temple.President Thomas S. Monson announced the Bangkok Thailand Temple during general conference on April 5, 2015. President Russell M. Nelson and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Bangkok, including the future temple site, last April as part of President Nelson's worldwide ministry tour.Read the full news release here.President Nelson said the Saints of Thailand will not be passive.“We have long prayed for a temple in Thailand,” Sister Uanphoklang said. “We are grateful that each of our children will have the blessing of receiving their temple ordinances and being sealed when they go on missions and marry. The temple gives us joy and hope as we seek to teach our children and help them feel of God’s love for them.”“These people are energized. They are inspired. They want to do something about their faith,” he said. “They are going to get ready for their temple.” More than 700 members and friends attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bangkok Thailand Temple January 26, 2019. Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, look over proposed site for a temple in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, April 20, 2018. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.Known as the “Land of Smiles,” Thailand today is home to more than 20,000 Church members in four stakes and two districts. The Bangkok temple will serve Latter-day Saints in Thailand and in nearby countries.

The 116th Congress has the fewest number of members in at least a decade. Ten members claiming Church affiliation is the lowest over the last six congresses, according to the Pew Research Center.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). Official portrait.

Sen. Michael D. Crapo (R-Idaho). Official portrait.

Rob Bishop, R-Utah, has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2003.

Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico). Official portrait.

Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah). Official portrait.

Ten Church members have begun their service in the 116th United States Congress—including four members of the U.S. Senate and six from the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah). Official portrait.

Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1999.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho). Official portrait.

The Latter-day Saint lawmakers are all men and represent four different states: Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, and Utah. Eight are Republicans; the other two are Democrats.Latter-day Saints in the U.S. Senate

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). Official portrait.

Ben McAdams, D-Utah, begins his maiden term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He defeated incumbent and fellow Church member Mia Love in the 2018 election.Mike Lee, R-Utah, has served in the Senate since 2011.John Curtis, R-Utah, began serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in November of 2017 after the resignation of fellow Latter-day Saint legislator Jason Chaffetz.Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, begins his second term in U.S. Congress.Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, has served in the Senate since 2009. He also represented New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah). Official portrait.

Michael D. Crapo, R-Idaho, has served in the Senate since 1999. He also served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 1999.Mitt Romney, R-Utah, begins his first term in the Senate. He previously served as governor of Massachusetts (2003–2007) and was the Republican nominee in the 2012 presidential election.Latter-day Saints in the U.S. House of RepresentativesChris Stewart, R-Utah, has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013.